Browns' 2013 draft picks still have chance to shine

If the Browns 2013 draft amounts to nothing more than Josh Gordon, it will have been better than many expansion-era drafts. But it needs to amount to much more than that. Bill Belichick, for one, says he admires “the plan.”

If the Browns lose at New England on Sunday, they will be 4-9, one game worse than they were after 13 games in a 2012 campaign that got a lot of people fired.

If fortunes turn next year, perhaps it will have been with a major assist from a tremendous draft — one that that lifts the team from its awful quagmire, once and for all.

Heading into the Patriots game, the results of last April’s draft have taken some interesting turns.

By far the most dramatic outcome has been the 38th pick in the 2013 draft, the one the Browns didn’t make because then-general manager Tom Heckert gave it up by taking Josh Gordon in Round 2 of the 2012 supplemental draft.

It boils down to a question of whether Gordon was worth the No. 38 pick. Answer:

Gordon has begun to look like the best acquisition regardless of position of the expansion era. He ranks No. 1 in the NFL in receiving yards per game (124.9) and No. 1 in yards per catch (19.5) among receivers who have caught at least 25 balls.

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is sold.

“He can attack all three levels of the defense,” Belichick said. “He can run through them. He can take the short, catch-and-run plays, crossing patterns, look patterns, plays on three-step drops where he breaks tackles ...

“He’s very good on the intermediate routes, the in-cuts, the crossing routes, comebacks, stop-routes. He’s a complete player, a big target who can run fast, catch, make a lot of yards on his own after the catch with his speed, size and running ability.”

The picks Michael Lombardi and Joe Banner have been responsible for pale in comparison to Gordon. Yet, the other 2013 draft moves at least have a chance to pay off in 2014.

No. 6 overall pick Barkevious Mingo has been a disappointment in terms of sacks. He has four on the season, none in the last four games. The team believes he is getting the experience — he played 41 of a possible 71 snaps against Jacksonville — that will help him break through next year.

Third-round pick Leon McFadden will get a long look at cornerback now that veteran Chris Owens is on injured reserve. McFadden played 31 snaps against Jacksonville.

It’s a given Tom Brady will pick on him.

“I understand that,” McFadden said. “I’m going to step up to the plate and handle that task. I feel I’m getting much better every day, working on technique and actually understanding everything about the defense.”

Veteran wideout Davone Bess hasn’t provided nearly as much juice as was envisioned when he was obtained on draft day. Gordon has racked up more yards in his last five quarters than Bess, with 343 yards, has provided in 12 games.

Page 2 of 2 - To get Bess, the Browns gave Miami draft picks at No. 104 and No. 164 overall exchange for picks at No. 111 and No. 217.

If the Steelers, 5-8, keep struggling, that pick could be in the 70s. It could become a useful player or a component in a big trade.

Similarly, the Browns traded a 2013 fifth-round pick, No. 139 overall, to the Colts in exchange for a Round 4 pick in 2014. At the moment, it appears the Browns will choose in the No. 125 range. Cleveland, of course, also owns Indy’s first-round pick as a result of the September Trent Richardson blockbuster.

The Browns still hope to get something out of sixth-round pick Jamoris Slaughter, a safety who blew out an Achilles in his 2012 season with Notre Dame. He has spent the year on the practice squad.